Tears and Regrets
by BlackSamurai
Summary: As she walks down the long road towards the rendezvous. She looks back at the man she would fall in love with five times over... she looks back and regrets. Chapter 237 Spoilers. ONE SHOT


A/N: My very first Bleach fic, after reading Chapter 237, I couldn't help but do this angst. The pain is so genuine; I could feel it from Inoue so intensely. Kubo Tite, I honor you

She was crying again. Of course she was crying again, how can she not? Each step she had taken towards the rendezvous point was another pang of pain in her heart. Tears dripped from her chin onto the concrete streets, leaving a trail of tears. Her sobs of pain echoing into the night… yet no one was taking any sort of recourse. She was alone after all; no one can sense her because of the bracelet. No one can even feel her energy force on the air.

She was scared, she was afraid, she was… regretting. Out of all the emotions and feelings she was going through, she felt regret the most. She should've done it earlier; she should've grabbed that luscious, orange head and smashed her lips against his. But… she couldn't.

"Rukia…" The reason of Inoue's only worries… Kurosaki-Kun was who he was today because of her, he had risked his very life, soul and braved the greatest pains to rescue her. He has done everything, defying even Soul Society itself to ensure Rukia's safety. It was obvious his feelings for her, it was obvious the two's closeness…

But her words were true, no matter where she was born, who she was, what she would eat and experience. She would fall in love… five times over… with the same person. Five times over she would experience such love, such joy and such pain. Her love, her ultimately unrequited love of the greatest person she had ever known. She collapsed onto the concrete street; her sobs became total moans of agony, screams of pain and the soul's pain bursting out.

She tried her best to hold it in, to at least get up and move properly. She tried so hard to keep the tears from pouring forth, to put a stopper on her tear ducts…. She tried five times over…

And failed five times over. It was pointless, the pain was relentless, it pounded, it shattered every hope and dream that Inoue could possibly hold, yet she tried to hide it all, hide it from the invisible forms in the air, invisibly mocking her for her weakness… invisibly pitying her.

She put on a good face; she wouldn't want Kurosaki-Kun seeing her now… she refused to let such an idea happen! She was strong! She was wanted! It… it was what made Rukia so attractive in Kurosaki-Kun's eyes right? Her strength? Her…

Her train of thought failed again and she let out another soul wrenching cry that echoed into the night, her voice heard by no one useful… but heard by the invisible… the same invisibles mocking her, pitying her.

It was horrible it was… terrifying. Inoue put on the face again… and got up. She stopped crying, wiping the tears with her sleeve.

"Kurosaki-Kun… would never cry. He would be strong; he would want me… to be strong as well. He would want me to go forward, go forward and never look back… He would want me to help him… help him be with Rukia in the end." Inoue shook her head.

"Kurosaki-Kun… Thank you." Inoue looked back one more time, realizing that she was feeling something true. It was pain… yes… but it was ultimately love. Love that invigorated her, the feeling filled her up with power and energy. It was what made her push forward… yet at the same time what smashes her down. Inoue felt she could do anything for Ichigo, she could punch out any Espada, and she could move the moon and black out the sun all for him. Yet she felt like nothing when she realizes what the love that she wanted back… wasn't for her.

Yet… Inoue stopped crying, she knew it all, she understood that she could not have it. But what she said stuck true… she would rather that Ichigo would stay happy… that she be lonely and crying… but knowing that Ichigo would be happy, embracing, holding and being with Rukia. She was a great woman after all, something that Inoue would love to become… even if it's just for Kurosaki-Kun.

Her love… genuine and true was hard to find right? Other crushes and dates were small in comparison; sure she had an attraction… but never like this. She was happy… just to be able to experience it.

Inoue stood to her full height with a bright smile. She looked at her watch. She had time, just enough. She pivoted on her right foot and started sprinting in the direction she just came from.

Rukia came into Ichigo's room, carrying a tray of food for Karin and Yuzu. She put it on the ground before checking on Ichigo. "Let's hope his wounds are…" The shinigami looked over the orange haired man. Tears stained his collar and his lips looked slightly bruised.

"Huh?" Rukia said as she inspected the tears, then looked at Ichigo's face. "Strange…" the shinigami looked out the window, the wind blowing freely through, causing the blinds to ripple.


End file.
